Welcome to the CAS Assumption Blog!
Your diploma programme years are going to get extremely busy as you all know, however, your experience with CAS truly is at the heart of this programme and is one that should stay with you forever.
It is going to be an exciting year, but be sure to make CAS a priority on your list of things to do — as we know this is an ONGOING project.
I look forward to working with all of you this year to ensure your on the right track & to answer any questions or concerns you may have. ** You may also find me in the guidance office.
Please pass this blog site onto your parents & fellow classmates who may need a reminder of the outlined criteria or to simply gain some inspiration.
Please feel free at any time to post comments, ask questions or get general information from this site.
Looking forward to working with all of you:)
Mrs. Castagna
The nature of creativity, action, service
…if you believe in something, you must not just think or talk or write, but must act.
Peterson (2003)
Creativity, action, service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. It is one of the three essential elements in every student’s Diploma Programme experience. It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows.
Creativity: arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
Action: physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Programme.
Service: an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.
CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma Programme. A good CAS programme should be both challenging and enjoyable, a personal journey of self-discovery. Each individual student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many their CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life-changing.
For student development to occur, CAS should involve:
real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope
thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting
reflection on outcomes and personal learning.
All proposed CAS activities need to meet these four criteria. It is also essential that they do not replicate other parts of the student’s Diploma Programme work.
Concurrency of learning is important in the Diploma Programme. Therefore, CAS activities should continue on a regular basis for as long as possible throughout the programme, and certainly for at least 18 months.
Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB diploma. CAS is not formally assessed but students need to document their activities and provide evidence that they have achieved eight key learning outcomes. A school’s CAS programme is regularly monitored by the relevant regional office.
an excerpt from the CAS Guide 2010, page 3